TL;DR
- The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 30 days from delivery to reject a faulty mobile phone and claim a full refund.
- A fault means the goods are not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose, or not as described — it does not need to be catastrophic.
- You do not have to accept a repair or replacement during the 30-day window; a full refund is your right.
- If the retailer refuses, you can escalate to the Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme they are signed up to, or take the matter to the small claims court.
- The right applies to the device sold by a trader — a separate network services contract is governed by different rules.
The Legal Foundation
Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015) sets out the implied terms that apply whenever a trader sells goods to a consumer in the UK. Section 9 requires goods to be of satisfactory quality; section 10 requires them to be fit for any particular purpose made known to the trader; and section 11 requires them to match any description given. A mobile phone that fails any of these standards is legally faulty from the moment of sale, even if the defect does not become obvious immediately.
Section 20 of the Act creates the short-term right to reject. During the first 30 days from the date the consumer takes ownership of the goods (or, if later, from the date the goods are delivered), you are entitled to reject the goods, treat the contract as at an end, and receive a full refund. The trader has no right to insist on a repair or replacement during this period; a refund must be provided. The 30-day clock is not extended if you take the phone in for inspection — the period runs continuously from the relevant start date.
What Counts as a Fault
A fault for the purposes of the Consumer Rights Act is any characteristic that means the goods fall below the standard a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking into account the price paid, any description given, and all other relevant circumstances. Common faults on mobile phones include: a screen that develops dead pixels or separates from the chassis, a battery that degrades abnormally quickly from the first day of use, a camera that produces defective images, software that crashes persistently due to a manufacturing defect, a charging port that fails without physical damage from the user, or a handset delivered with a cracked housing despite being sold as new.
Faults must be distinguished from fair wear and tear or damage caused by the consumer after purchase. A screen cracked because you dropped the handset is not a manufacturing fault. However, if a phone's screen delaminates because of a known adhesive defect, that is a fault even if the phone was not dropped. If there is a dispute about cause, the burden of proof sits with the retailer after the first six months; within the first 30 days the consumer does not need to prove the fault was present at the point of sale — section 19(14) of the CRA 2015 creates a presumption that defects apparent within six months existed at the time of delivery, and within the 30-day window the right to reject is essentially unconditional provided a fault exists.
How to Invoke the Right to Reject
To exercise the short-term right to reject, you must clearly communicate your intention to the trader within the 30-day window. There is no prescribed form — a written notification by email or recorded delivery letter is strongly advisable so that you have dated evidence of when you communicated the rejection. Your message should state the specific fault, confirm that you are exercising your right to reject under section 20 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and request a full refund.
You are not obliged to return the phone before the refund is issued, but practically you will need to arrange its return. The trader is required to bear the cost of return postage or collection. Once you have communicated a valid rejection, the trader has 14 days to issue the refund using the same payment method you originally used, in line with their obligations under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Keep a record of all communication, including delivery receipts and email timestamps.
| Step | What you do | Time limit / note |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify the fault | Document it with photos or video; note date fault first appeared | Within 30 days of delivery |
| 2. Notify the retailer | Email or recorded letter citing CRA 2015 s.20, stating the specific fault and requesting a full refund | Must be sent before day 30 expires |
| 3. Return the device | Arrange return; retailer must cover cost of return postage or collection | Keep proof of postage |
| 4. Receive refund | Retailer must refund using original payment method | Within 14 days of receiving returned goods |
| 5. Escalate if refused | Contact ADR scheme or small claims court if retailer refuses | Small claims limit: £10,000 in England and Wales |
What the Retailer Must Do
On receiving a valid rejection, the retailer is required to refund the full purchase price. They cannot charge a restocking fee, deduct for any use you have had of the phone, or require you to submit to a repair attempt before they will consider the refund. Attempting to redirect you to the manufacturer rather than dealing with the complaint themselves is not acceptable — under the CRA 2015 your contract is with the trader, not the manufacturer. The trader retains whatever rights they have against the manufacturer under their own supply chain arrangements, but those are not your concern.
If you purchased on credit — for example, using a credit card or a loan from a lender other than the retailer — section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may give you an additional claim against the credit provider for any purchase over £100. This does not replace the 30-day right to reject but provides a parallel avenue if the retailer becomes insolvent or uncooperative.
What to Do If the Retailer Refuses
If a retailer disputes your right to reject — for instance by alleging that the fault was caused by you, or by claiming their own policy requires a repair first — you should first write to them formally citing the Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9–11 and section 20. Keep the tone factual and retain copies. Many disputes are resolved at this stage once the retailer understands you know the law. Citizens Advice provides template letters and can advise on your options at no cost.
If the retailer remains uncooperative, check whether they are a member of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme approved under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015. ADR is typically free for consumers and provides a binding or non-binding determination depending on the scheme. If no ADR scheme applies, you can bring a claim in the small claims track of the County Court in England and Wales (or the equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland) for amounts up to £10,000. Filing a Money Claim Online is a well-established route for straightforward consumer disputes.
Network Contracts and the 30-Day Right
Mobile contracts sold by UK operators typically bundle a device with a services agreement. The CRA 2015 right to reject applies to the goods element — the handset itself. The services component, such as the airtime contract, is governed by the Consumer Rights Act provisions on digital content and services, and by the terms of the contract. Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement require operators to offer dispute resolution through an approved ADR scheme — either Ombudsman Services: Communications or the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) — which provides a separate escalation path for billing or service-quality disputes.
If you reject the handset under the 30-day right, you may still be bound by or liable to cancel the airtime contract separately. Check the contract terms: early termination charges may apply unless you can demonstrate that the services themselves were not of the contractually agreed standard, or that the trader accepts that the entire bundled contract should unwind. Where the bundle was sold as a single agreement, you can argue that rejection of the goods element renders the whole agreement voidable, but this may need to be tested through ADR or the courts.
What this means in practice
Priya buys a new Android handset from a high-street retailer on 5 May 2026 for £549, paying by debit card. By 12 May she notices the screen intermittently loses touch sensitivity along the bottom edge despite no physical damage. She photographs the fault, then on 14 May emails the retailer’s customer service address stating that she is exercising her right to reject under section 20 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 due to the touch-sensor defect, and requests a full refund of £549. The retailer responds asking her to send the phone to their service centre first. Priya replies citing section 20 again — noting that within 30 days she is not obliged to accept a repair — and encloses a copy of Citizens Advice’s template letter. The retailer arranges a courier collection two days later at their cost and processes the £549 refund to her debit card within a week.
Related Guides
How we verified this
This article draws on the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (sections 9–11 and 19–20) as published on legislation.gov.uk; the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (section 75); the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013; Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement (Condition C4 on dispute resolution); and the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015. All statutory text was cross-referenced with the versions current as of the date shown below.
Disclaimer: Kaeltripton.com is an independent UK editorial publisher. We are not regulated by Ofcom or the FCA and we do not sell or arrange mobile services, insurance, or financial products. This content is for general information only and is not legal, financial, or technical advice. Rules, prices, and operator policies change. Verify the current position with Ofcom, GOV.UK, the ICO, or your provider before acting. ICO registered ZC135439. Last reviewed: 2026-06-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I return a faulty mobile phone within 30 days?
Yes. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you a short-term right to reject any faulty goods — including mobile phones — within 30 days of taking delivery. You are entitled to a full refund and do not have to accept a repair or replacement. The right applies when you buy from a trader; purchases from private sellers are not covered by the same statutory right.
What counts as a fault for the right to reject?
A fault is any characteristic that means the phone falls below the standard a reasonable person would expect given the price paid and any description provided. Examples include defective screens, abnormal battery degradation from day one, faulty cameras, persistent software crashes caused by a manufacturing defect, or a damaged chassis on a phone sold as new. Damage you caused yourself after purchase does not qualify.
How do I invoke the 30-day right to reject?
Notify the retailer in writing — email is sufficient — within the 30-day window. State the specific fault, cite the Consumer Rights Act 2015 section 20, and request a full refund. Keep dated evidence of your notification. You will then need to return the device; the retailer is required to cover the cost of return postage or collection. A refund must follow within 14 days of the retailer receiving the returned goods.
What if the retailer refuses my right to reject?
Write again formally, citing sections 9–11 and 20 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If the dispute continues, escalate to an Ofcom-approved ADR scheme (Ombudsman Services: Communications or CISAS for network retailers), or to the small claims court for amounts up to £10,000. Citizens Advice can provide template letters and free guidance. If you paid by credit card, a section 75 claim against the card issuer may also be available for purchases over £100.
Does the 30-day right apply to network contracts?
The 30-day right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act applies to the handset as goods. The airtime services element of a bundled contract is subject to separate rules, including Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement and the contract terms. If you reject the device, you may need to separately cancel or dispute the network contract; early termination charges could apply unless the service itself was also defective or the retailer agrees the whole agreement should unwind.
